Police on Saturday arrested another member of the glue-sniffing youth gang wanted in connection with the murder of Keittirat Longnawa, a 31-year-old transsexual and glue addict who was beaten and had his throat slashed January 31.

Village-based licensed master social worker Sean Endress has seen the devastation people who may look or act a gender different than their biological sex face when they are denied the right to live in certain buildings or denied seats in restaurants.

Imagine, if you will, waking up one morning and saying to yourself, "Today's the day." You've thought about it for a long time, maybe told your friends and family, and now you finally have the courage to take such a big step and live your life as the person you really are. Today is the day everyone will know.

An occasional update on local stories that were in the news just a year ago. Lily McBeth may have been born William B. McBeth, but a sex-change in 2005 created a new life for the divorced father of three. It did not stop the 70-something' s love for teaching.Photo: Lily McBeth

This year marks our best chance yet to get a federal hate-crimes law passed and signed into law. It would give the government the power to prosecute anti-LGBT crimes and law enforcement the resources to investigate them properly. So let's make sure it happens.

Andy Marra had many questions when she was punched in the face for being a transgender woman back in November 2006. But instead of giving her answers, her attackers fled. Now she has decided to tell her story, and she is making an appeal for answers about hate crimes.